The HHW Chase Team
The HHW Chase Team is an experienced group of storm chasers from the Hypothetical Hurricanes Wiki who teamed up to chase all U.S.-bound landfalling hurricanes, having been established in 2017. The three core members of the team are Bobnekaro (Bob), Hypercane (Hype), and Sassmaster15 (Sassmaster), though are often accompanied by other users on certain chases. They are known for having a relatively high success rate, being able to punch the core of every cyclone they chase, shoot quality video, and collect relevant and reliable meteorological data to submit to the National Hurricane Center. The responsibilities of each member is listed below: Sassmaster - Transportation/Driver/Supplies Hype - Videographer & Geographic/Map Analyst Bob - Collection of Meteorological Data/Observations Below are some sample stories of chases the team experienced in their first year of chasing, 2017: Hurricane Franklin Category 1 Hurricane Franklin was slowly ambling north through the Gulf of Mexico towards the Gulf Coast of the United States in late August of 2017. While the NHC predicted rapid intensification would occur, that did not ensue as the stable state of the hurricane kept it at 85 miles per hour till landfall. Prior to even commencing the chase, the team members picked up two additional members on their way down to Galiano, Louisiana - the target location as that was where Franklin's center was expected to pass. As Hype and Sass drove down to North Carolina to pick up Bob, they also picked up a good friend of his - Akio - who lived nearby. As the group made their way down to Louisiana, Sassmaster picked up a good friend of his - Brick - who wanted to accompany them on the chase. They arrived in Galiano with time to spare, as Franklin was still 12 hours away from landfall. The group then spent the night scoping out the area for what would make for good shots as well safety if the hurricane became too severe. They then fell asleep in the parking lot of the church and slept for about 7 hours. They awoke to find the town being blasted with high winds and heavy rain, and scrambled as they thought the eyewall was coming in. However, the eye was still completely offshore, and was not predicted by the NHC to make landfall for several more hours. They then analyzed the radar and noticed it was a particularly intense outer rainband - with gusts up to 65 mph - coming ashore and moving over their direct location. The group was dumbfounded, having never seen such intense convection that was not part of the eyewall itself. In fact, the rainband seemed to have even stronger winds and heavier rain than the eyewall. As the group continued to await Hurricane Franklin's impending landfall in Galiano, Louisiana, they entered a relative lull as a strong outer squall associated with the system advanced north, leaving the storm chasers to await the arrival of the hurricane's eyewall. Additional hours passed, but most of the rain and wind subsided, and the group thought the hurricane somehow wobbled away from them and wasn't going to come through Galiano. As they got out of their vehicle to inspect the damage, the wind suddenly and dramatically picked up, nearly knocking Brick to his feet. They ran for cover back to the car, which was nearly crushed by a falling telephone pole in a gust of wind. Hype whipped out his camera and began shooting, urging Sassmaster to drive to the safe spot they chose when they first arrived. However, due to the winds, trees began falling down and flying branches relentlessly struck the car. As they attempted to get to the highest elevation in town, they were blocked by a particularly large fallen tree, covering the entire road. The wind continued to scream, growing stronger with every blast. Eventually, a large tree to the rear of the vehicle was snapped by the wind and fell across the road, effectively isolating and trapping the chasers. As the wind grew in ferocity, so did the accompanying rain. "The rain was absolutely blinding," Bob later said. "It was amazing; we couldn't even see the fallen tree less than two feet ahead of us." Radar analysis showed they were only entering Franklin's eyewall. There would still be many more hours of driving rain and wind to endure before the storm passed completely. Throughout the day, the team continued to film on location as Franklin grew ever stronger. Debris from nearby houses later posed a threat to the chasers - flying across the road and into their vehicle. "We had winds sustained around 75-80 miles per hour; minimal hurricane-force," Sassmaster said. "But being there, it felt so much more intense. Roofing material was rocketing off buildings and propagated through the air. After the storm, there were huge dents in our car that signified just how much force the debris had when it was flying through the air.” Around 8:45 AM, the team noticed slight calming, though the hurricane was still exerting adverse conditions over the area. Radar showed they were just clipping the northern edge of the eye. “Although the winds were beginning to die down, they were still blowing,” Hype said. “I could see light on the horizon, and thought we were about to enter the eye.” However, Franklin wobbled to the southwest, and Galiano was thrust back under hurricane conditions, even more turbulent than before. “As if things weren’t hellish beforehand, this boundary between the eyewall and eye thrust us into something stronger than I ever experienced,” Sassmaster said. The rain came down in torrents. Winds at this time gusted beyond 90 miles per hour. Debris rapidly breezed past the car. Forty-five minutes later, Franklin wobbled to the north again, and Galiano finally entered the cyclone’s huge eye. “The thing was immense,” said Akio. “It wasn’t a perfectly clear eye; at times it was still rainy and windy. However, it was a large eye and we spent a long time in it.” Bob estimated they spent at least three hours in the eye of the slow-moving storm. Attempting to be productive, the team unsuccessfully tried to remove the trees blocking their path in both directions, but neither moved enough to completely clear the pathway. However, there was a barely passable opening which Sassmaster did successfully clear, freeing the team. Continuing their trek towards the local hospital - the highest elevation in the region - the team took a route along a coastal road that was constantly battered by strong waves. “As we drove along that road, the waves were so high they crashed on top of the car,” Brick said. “It was scary. I thought they would push us off the road.” Fortunately, they cleared the treacherous path and parked the car in the lot of Lady of the Sea General Hospital. Around 11:20 AM, they entered the backside of Franklin’s circulation, which was less fierce than the front. The cyclone had unravelled slightly, and by this time had been downgraded to a 60 kt tropical storm by the NHC. “Definitely not as impressive as the front half,” Hype said. “Winds were still strong, but conditions were nothing comparable to what we had experienced in the initial part of the storm.” However, Franklin made its mark and had a lasting impact on the chasers for the following reason; “We were just about to pull out of the parking lot when the winds began to kick up again,” explained Sassmaster. “We heard crashing sounds from nearby, but couldn’t figure out where they were coming from or what was making them.” At this point, an 85 kt gust produced by the cyclone ripped off the roof of the hospital their car was situated adjacently to. “Large pieces of roofing material rained down on us,” Bob said. “They cracked the windows and nearly brought down the roof of the car onto us.” Fortunately, no one was injured by the unexpected spectacle. Utterly freaked out, the team departed the town and began to head back towards Houma. Their first hurricane chase was officially over. “It was truly an adrenaline rush,” said Sassmaster. “Never would I have expected such a fierce display from a minimal hurricane. Franklin proved to me that a hurricane is a hurricane - regardless the category. I felt its vast power, came away exhausted, and assured myself I would walk away from this chase promising to never again say ‘It’s just a Cat 1.’” Following the chase, Hype was critically acclaimed for his video work, capturing all the harrowing moments described above on film. The team was later featured on The Today Show subsequently following their venture into Category 4 Hurricane Nate when it struck Florida later that year (see below). Hurricane Nate ...Part 1... Following the success of their previous chase earlier in the season, Hype, Sassmaster, and Bob decided to meet up once again when Major Hurricane Nate set its sights on southern Florida, with the National Hurricane Center predicting landfall near Fort Myers as a 160 mph Category 5 storm - the most intense storm to threaten the United States since Hurricane Andrew in 1992. In addition to the three main chasers, the team decided to invite all other willing HHW users on this chase. The majority consented, with Mario, Darren, James, Mason, Akio, Garfield, and Nkech all accepting the invitation. The entire group initially met at a Target store in Raleigh, North Carolina and stocked up on supplies, then made their way south towards downtown Fort Myers. They arrived less than two days prior to landfall, with all of Lee County under mandatory evacuation. They sought shelter in a parking garage on Monroe Street to protect themselves for when conditions became too hazardous to remain outside. Conditions began to deteriorate the evening subsequent to their arrival. Tropical storm conditions soon began to engulf the state as Nate's circulation approached. Throughout the night, winds steadily increased while the team members went outside and horsed around in the growing storm. Meanwhile, Sassmaster and Bob stayed up in the garage and analyzed the radar loop. At the last second, the hurricane's core wobbled slightly to the northeast, signifying the hurricane's eye would not pass over Fort Myers. With this in mind, both men realized they would enter the most intense portion of the hurricane - the southeast eyewall. Sassmaster, panicked by this development, ordered everyone back inside to prepare for potential 160+ mph winds and heavy rain. Throughout the night, conditions gradually became more severe, with minimal hurricane conditions arriving by morning. Around 4:30 AM, after a sleepless night for many, Nkech, Hype, James, and Sassmaster took a car and drove throughout the suburbs as the storm dramatically built up. While driving down Franklin Street, a wind gust exceeding 100 miles per hour blew down a nearby tree, then ripped the roof off an adjacent building. Hype slowly inched the car forward, though a razor-sharp piece of corrogated metal came flying out of nowhere and slammed against the windshield. Sassmaster urged Hype to turn them around and the group made their way back to their shelter in downtown Fort Myers. Throughout the morning, Nate steadily grew in ferocity. By 9:00 A.M., Nate's winds and rains were ripping through the garage full-force. As Sassmaster attempted to shoot video out in the open, battling winds and rain, Akio yelled to him as a piece of debris came flying through an opening and missed Sassmaster's head by inches. Minutes later, Nate's winds began ripping the plate-glass off the windows of a nearby building, filling the air with razor sharp shards traveling at astronomical speeds. "Some shards entered the structure we were positioned in, and we just dove for cover," James explained. Around 10 A.M., the group entered peak conditions the hurricane had to offer. "The whole structure began to sway, despite not being very high up in addition to being entirely made out of concrete," Nkech said. "I just sat in one of the vans, wondering what I got myself into." Down below, the group realized their worst fears verified as the streets began to fill with storm surge. They were effectively trapped. Meanwhile, wind, rain, and debris ripped through the garage. As Mason walked back to one the vehicles to retrieve something, he made a shocking discovery. "The cinderblocks that made up the interior walls of the building were soaking wet from the inside," He states. "We were way too high up for the storm surge to have done that, and at that moment I realized the wind was driving the rain through the concrete blocks." At this particular time, the wind was howling through the structure, creating odd moans and eerie whistling. "The radar imagery observed at this time depicted we were situated in a gigantic red blob of exceedingly intense wind and rain, the peak of the hurricane," Bob said. "I made a point of mentioning this to the others." The storm had completely trapped the team. The streets below were covered in at least three feet of water. "The winds blowing through the garage were so strong that we had to move our cars to the interior, near the staircase, as they would have been completely tipped over in the open," Hype explained. The team remained in peak conditions for another half hour before the winds finally began to die down. Around 10:45 A.M., the area encountered some of the calm of the eye. As Bob peered out to see what the scene outside looked like, he remarked seeing the outer edge of Nate's eye just down the street. "I can guarantee you there was a classic stadium effect dead center of that storm," Bob said in his interview with Today. "I could see blue sky. Absolutely stunning - I have never seen anything like it." Category:Hypothetical Stories